Category: Colombian life

Posted in Alternative Lifestyle, Colombia, Colombian life, nature, Uncategorized

Karma is my name, and Colombia is my Karma.

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/names/

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My Karma is Colombia

A favorite photo of me when I first discovered the beauty of the country of Colombia. Riding the back roads on a motorcycle and exploring nature was all it took for me to want to change the lifestyle I had been living in the United States. I felt free, I felt the wanderlust hidden inside of me waiting to burst out like the flurry of the wind hitting my face as I road the little Suzuki motorcycle around the mountains.

My divorce, my advancing age, and my love of the mountains all came together to make the decision to seek an alternative lifestyle. One I do not regret. I am flourishing here in my adopted country. I find that no matter your life lessons, you can go on to accomplish great things even when you have found yourself beaten down by life. I started my new career as a hotel owner four years after this photo was taken.

Who can ever know what life has in store for us? We have to wing it sometimes, and I have. I am discovering new things about me, what I am capable of. Living my life for the moments that I encounter that bring me joy. Colombia is also coming around, being named by many prominent publications as the country to visit in 2017. A little country full of great people, wonderful nature, and inexpensive to visit.

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The number 89 butterfly of Colombia

One thing I have definitely learned is life is about accomplishments, not possessions. Let the allure of whatever is your secret desire pull you into that path, that walk, that direction. Just go for it! Life is short, a cliche I know, but true. Don’t let your life pass you by!

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, Dogo Argentino, nature, photo challenge, Uncategorized

A Path to Success for 2017

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/path-2016/

When I moved to Colombia in 2011 I never thought I would be enjoying the wonderful life I have today. Colombia has moved on, just like I have. Peace is on the horizon in Colombia. I have a life filled with peace and nature.

I will never say I am completely happy, I don’t believe it is possible. But I will say I am grateful. I am grateful I had the strength to go through 6 years of improvement. I have worked hard. I have turned my life around. I left a destructive and very dysfunctional life. I have found my niche in Colombia.

Be kind to yourself. Stop the mad dash for a Christmas present that will probably be put in a closet to be re-gifted. Christmas is for children, and they enjoy those wonderful presents. As for adults, isn’t it better spent enjoying the beauty that surrounds us? Whether it be family, nature, inspiration, happiness where you can grab it, friendships, animals, travel, anything that really moves you in your core. Embrace that, not material things. You can stop right now. Just be you. Enjoy those who you are blessed to have in your life. Nothing is ever perfect. I know that. But look around and make a list of all that fulfills you.

I live in a beautiful home in Colombia. I have the love of my animals. I have my business and wonderful guests who give me new perspectives on everything. They give me companionship, they give me laughter, they give me their thoughts on my Villa in Colombia, they teach me new recipes, they give me comfort and support, they give me a life filled with purpose. I have discovered all those years of working as a flight attendant has given me a lifetime of training to become the mistress of my own domain. But, I have learned to include other’s opinions. That is a path I embrace.

When you have a life of meaning you have it all. This is the best present  to yourself. I know that from my past. Life is too be lived in the now. If you can appreciate what this season really means, no matter your religion, your beliefs, you can find your path. If you can look around your home and see anything that makes you smile with fond remembrance, just one thing you are grateful for, you will be ahead of others who are rushing to buy a present that means nothing. Carve your own path to success in 2017. It might be a small path, but it is a beginning.

Stay strong, stay focused, stay determined and you will find your path to success. I have.

 

 

Posted in nature, Nature Symbolism, photo challenge, Uncategorized

The Magic of Nature

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/magic/

Whenever I do these photo challenges I always look to my favorite subject. Nature. I can find magic every single day I step outside and look around. Sometimes, even in my house. The butterflies and hummingbirds have free rein in my house. In Colombia we leave our doors open in the main areas off the balconies.  They enter sometimes, and I rescue them. The cover photo is the Owl Butterfly of Colombia on  a wall in my kitchen. This video shows the encounter which was magical. Colombia has a slogan Magical Realism. The photos I am sharing will show this to be true. It is magical to live in this beauty.

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A beautiful butterfly on a hike (there are two see if you can spot the other)

A full moon over the mountains is enchanting no matter where you live. But there is something mystical about this picture that is a bit eerie in a good way.

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Full moon in Colombian mountains
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The light reflecting through the center of this flower is pure beauty and magic

Finally this photo of me on a trip to Bogotá is spiritual in a way that brings to mind otherworldly images. It was taken without any filters, nor did I use any photo shop. It just is one of those photos that when you go through your images you do a double take.

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Street art in Bogotá, Colombia
Posted in chaos, Colombian life, photo challenge, Uncategorized

Abandoned Chaos

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/chaos/

I visited this old abandoned school here in Palmira, Colombia one day with my friend. He went to this school from elementary through middle school. This was a very long time ago and the school is now just a storage place for whomever owns the property. The chaos has a certain beauty.

We were driving by one day and he pulled over and said “this was my old school before I moved to the United States, let’s see if we can get inside”. In the foyer the first thing I saw was this street dog and bike. The floor was tasteful in the way one might like with antiques. Old style but still pleasing to the eye. The walls chipped and peeling. I was intrigued. I took a bunch of photos as we wandered the abandoned property. It was eerie in a way that can only be shown through photos.

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This photo captures the essence of the school. The picture of Jesus with the cross, the curved archways, the old couch with the stuffing hanging underneath. The once beautiful stairs. The tire rims.

We walked out through the archways to what was once the physical education area.

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Definite chaos within this photo. A backless chair in the forefront, bananas on the ground, pots and containers, totally unorganized.
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Not sure what he was doing but he seems to be preparing food

After we wandered the outside we went to check out my friend’s old classroom. It was spooky in the way only abandoned buildings can be. I felt I was on a movie set for a thriller.

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These stairs could make you want to run screaming from the building
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You can see the courtyard that used to be the outdoor activity area and the abandoned hallways where the children would change classes
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The floors and walls seem to close in on you while exploring
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Again the floors with the metal racks are complete chaos. One can only imagine that children once walked through these hallways laughing and talking

Finally we reach the classroom my friend remembers as his last year at this school.

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What was once a school classroom is now filled with junk
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Loneliness comes to mind when I view this broken window in the classroom

To think that once a very long time ago this was a school thriving with children and happiness. Now just an old building filled with clutter and debris.

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, Color and Colombia

The Color of Colombia

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/discover-challenges/flaneur/

I often say there is no other country as colorful as Colombia. I am an amateur photographer with a desire to photograph all that is colorful in my newly adopted place of living. As an expat in a country that is full of joy and happiness I try to capture real life here in Colombia. I am a casual observer of all that is around me, camera ready always. Colombian people are found to be the happiest people in world online polls. I think you will see why in my series of photographs. Colombia was just named number two by Lonely Planet as one of the places to visit in 2017. Enjoy my photos, there are so many it was hard to choose them for this blog. Let me know what you think of my choices. Enjoy and come visit Colombia. A wonderful country full of culture and vibrancy. A country known for a dark past that it has overcome. A country of great history. A country I now call home.

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One handsome guy
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Admirers
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This gorgeous horse!
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The Parade
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Laughing
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Flirtation

The above images and the main cover were taken while watching a parade of horses ridden by their owners in Buga, Colombia. These parades can be found almost any weekend in most cities of Colombia. The horses are Paso Fino and very well-trained. The fun includes drinking aquardiente the Colombian drink done as a shot.

The Colombian pueblos are full of life and action. The area of Buenaventura, Colombia in the Valle del Cauca is a coastal seaport city. This is where the ships bring packages and cargo that are sent from other countries. The bustling life of this area is fascinating. Then there are areas that are far from the coastal town deep in the jungle.

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Concentration

The beauty of the Pacific coast of Colombia. Colombia has two coasts the Atlantic and the Pacific. I try to capture the subsistence of regular life in Colombia in my photos.

Reality is present in all of my photos. I am showing all of my blog followers how I live. It is always the present, I capture the essence of Colombia. I show how you can just buy fruit from a stand on the side of the street. I show how it is presented. How multicolored Colombia is. No matter where you visit. You will find such beauty. I always say Colombia is eye candy to those that enjoy life in the purest form.

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The clarity of the water with a gorgeous smile
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Decor in a local restaurant
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Buy an avocado to bring with you to a restaurant in Cali

Cali, Colombia is full of Salsa dancers. I was wandering  the area of San Antonio barrio when I caught these photos on film. I always pinch myself when I enjoy a special moment in time. This was one of those times.

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Their daily routine had some excitement
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The dancers taking a break
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Looking down from above in the park of San Antonio barrio

If you want to consider Colombia as a vacation, I have a Bed and Breakfast in the Valle del Cauca department. Consider staying with me at Villa Migelita.

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, nature, Nature Symbolism, Uncategorized

The Brilliance of Nature

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/shine/

My cover image is an iguana that looks like it is an extension of a leaf from a plant. I believe it personifies how easily the light can change the way we see things. I only saw this iguana because my dog was barking. I went to look and there was this beautiful iguana.

When I hike the butterflies are everywhere. Sometimes you can miss them because they blend in with the nature around them.

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This butterfly blends in with the rocks

A tree stump with the beautiful Blue Tanager of Colombia. The sun was setting and the flowers of Colombia are so brilliant, I could easily think this gorgeous bird was a bloom of a plant.

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Azules pajaro de Colombia

Then there are the actual flowers on my farm and bed and breakfast  Villa Migelita. The way they grow so beautifully reaching towards the sun.

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A new sunflower opening to the sun

This photo of my dog Orion stretching is wonderful, you might focus on him and miss the landscape that is in the background, highlighted by the late afternoon sun.

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The sun going down in the background highlights the foliage

Finally as the sun goes down at Villa Migelita itshines upon the ducklings, you have to look carefully or you could miss them in this picture of activity.

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those ducklings!

 

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, photo challenge, Uncategorized

Local in Colombia, South America

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise
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Dancing is part of local life in Colombia

 

All things local in my small pueblo involve nature, animals and sometimes a great party. When the two are combined it makes for a wonderful evening. Recently I went to a party at a farm in Palmira, Valle del Cauca. It was a regular farm, nothing special. Kind of run down, but the people who attended were fabulous. The cows were there right where we were dancing. There was an improvised bar, and a lot of lovely local people having a private night out without restraint.  My friend’s husband  was singing, while guests were doing shots of aquardiente (the famous and very popular drink of Colombia) and whisky. I did a bit of drinking myself, because it is what you do at a fiesta in Colombia.  I really had a wonderful time.

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I can dance very well, and so could he!
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This is a local as you can get in Colombia
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Dancing Salsa is an art all men learn in Latin America

Then I took a bit of a rest with Monica, her husband is one of the best singers I have ever had the pleasure to listen to. I didn’t have a camera with me, these photos are all from her phone. They might not be the best quality, but they show the spirit of a local evening in Colombia. I always say I  will remember times like these when I am 80 years old, while looking back at my life.

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Monica, me and Anderson her husband with the voice of an angel
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Colombia where you can have fun and no need for a club or disco!
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Cannot be more local than this in Colombia!

With that I tip my hat to a wonderful evening with friends.

 

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, Perfection and Peace, Uncategorized

The Authentic Life I Have In Colombia

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/discover-challenges/radical-authenticity/

I moved to Colombia to find myself, and I did. I felt stuck in circumstances that were harmful to me at the time of my decision to move. We always have choices. I had an ex-husband stalking my every move, and fallout from a bitter divorce. Then I realized I didn’t need to live the way I was living. I could find a better way. So I did. You can too. No need to allow anyone or anything to control your life choices. End of story. I am proof that another way to live is possible and just around the corner if you keep your options open.

What I thought about when I wasn’t searching for an answer to my life situation was unpleasant. I was wracked with anxiety about the future. My healthcare, my home which was being foreclosed on because of vengeful ex, my animals, my life in general. I needed to find a way to survive the madness of a time in my life that was my worst nightmare. With my decision to move to a new country came a freedom I doubt many people have. I live authentically. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me, I don’t watch posts on Facebook as they are never the real story.  I just look outside my window as the hummingbirds fly around me for validation.

So how did I come to this place in my life? I will admit when my daughter was murdered by a drunk driver in the middle of that horrific divorce, I hit rock bottom. But still I got up and got going again, because that is who I am. I am not a person who is sedentary. I am an action person to the maximum I can be. I remember walking into my Pilates class a week after my daughter was killed while my friends and classmates looked shocked to see me. I had to go on. It is a choice one must make no matter your circumstance. You can choose to be sad and depressed or live your life. I decided to live. I am not happy all the time, no one can be. We have a life to live and with that life comes reality.

A life that may appear wonderful to others, can fall apart in a second! Too many people live their lives to impress others. I have learned I don’t need to do that. I live my life for myself only. I am a free spirit. I am an eagle in flight flowing through my current life with knowledge I didn’t have previously. I am a person who is alone, but yet very connected to others. I am happy to the best of my ability. No matter how many times I have erred in my life I am way ahead of those who do nothing to change their circumstances.

Even when you make mistakes during a turbulent time you can stand strong. How you react to happenings in your life is a definition of whom you are. I have discovered that being alone is often better than being around people who mean nothing to me but a night out. I love my alone time. I study Spanish, I write, I watch nature around me, I hike, I enjoy my animals, I appreciate my home and the views I see that would never have happened if I was still in the United States. If you really want change you will find a way. You will live your authentic life. I have done it. I will never say it is perfect. It is not. There is NO such thing as perfect. It is a myth. But there is such a thing as living authentically. I have found it.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Colombia, Colombian life, Uncategorized

Water is Plentiful In Colombia

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/h2o/

I am very blessed to have a life that includes water without restrictions and is very plentiful in Colombia. Whether in a town square like the cover photo, or the rivers that surround me, there is plenty of water where I live. We don’t pay for this water, just the maintenance of it. The cost is around 2.00$ per month. It is crystal clear, and very safe. I tell my tourist guests at Villa Migelita they have no need to worry if they drink water from the tap or brush their teeth…we don’t have any problems with contamination where I live.

 

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Swim under the Falls
swim under waterfalls
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Waterfalls

 

Posted in Colombian life, photo challenge, Uncategorized

Edges of Life

Posted on by hummingsfromparadise

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/edge/

Edges are found everywhere in my nature photos. I  focus on nature and animals. I have a Villa that frames my photos with edges in all my pictures. The cover photo is an example of Colombian life.The line of the walls, the roof, the beam and the walls frame the backdrop of the mountains and banana trees. Even the line of the coat rack that holds the hats exemplify life in Colombia

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My ducks Poco and Corazon when just babies with my goats

The edge in the photo above is the bamboo fence which is part of Colombian life. We use a lot of bamboo…you also can see the piece of metal with a frayed edge. We had a hole and we fixed it temporarily with a piece of sheet metal.

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The edges of a painting, a doorway and the flowers with a stem used as decor in an arrangement

 

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The stairway to the upper floors of Villa Migelita

I love the photo above because it shows so many edges, again the fence is in the background, along with my stairs that go to my upper floors. the backdrop of nature shows what I see every single day when the sun rises. A perfect life.

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My Collie Colleen a few months before she passed

The line of the swing in this photo of my old dog Colleen adds a bit of sweetness to a sad photo of my dog who had not long to live. This photo captures all that is good about her and her life with me. She could not walk well by this time, the angle of her front legs show this. Her eyes show all the kindness of her soul.

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The edges of the tile with the tiny bit of a chair showing in this picture of two wonderful friends

This photo encompasses a lifetime friendship of two animals that grew up together. They are both deceased now. I brought them with me to Colombia. They enjoyed their last years in Paradise.

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The bumpy edge of the mountains of Cali with clouds

A view from my Villa in the morning with cloud formations.